Coherer discharge-indicator.



ISCQEGE-INDCATCH.

'cnicd in 'olicrer of which du 'ollon inveniion relates to instrumentsoperi in resnonsc io trunsltor 'lui-charges oi "enion is lio provideu'iriuwuorv surz. .inel uw luirges oi freut if; ff `ccirim o canaille o'Arcinely small lies, 'u-iiy and devices which ure the surges off-.i.1,f-,. ,.LI", @ALA i i 1w., #Il i nonni qrnuulrus oi i ccd uit) asvv :en i u dynrnnc eurrei'it under lngrh generator poen'iul follows cheirsi sialic discharge. ""ncre :arc various l unvn nuys oi indicating;

ilud huren, Y suine@ io the 'uuil limi ri einde rigid enouggjh lo\\'ihslund he. heavy' .l .rhurgcs lo which they L lunes sunjeccd, theyure u :leiriiie enouefll io respond o snc-ill d i i" ii: uuu-le deliciucenough to 1ilo the si i cli-ey are not l 'i o? sin he henry dischurees.i. indicunoi's use ulso ohja ionulilc in is ihu un iruluriunce in il enrrcsier circuit is uvresszr i liu'oy'ioee io use :i coherer which mayhe oi" fific lr c :ini y ype such us l hure shown, und l y nicuns of :ilo 'nl circuii including ldie :y roluircrT indiciue or record, or both,euch coherence or he conluincd nuxicriul. ,The cohcrer muy lic urrungfcdin e number of dif- 'l'err-,n io liuvc poten iul impressed upon -hdiirhurgo o5 lire. il.

nur nnuculor nniv be i on euch coherence of ille pui-iicls, or apermanent r cord muy be inude by any of the 'well lznovvn devices uswill he 'further explained in `lhe detail description. Such u device issubject to none of the faults indiculcd above.

ln the drawings which forni a part of this speciicution, I haveillustrated diagraminut-ically various forms assumed by my invention. A

Figure l illustrates diagraminatically one construction embodying myinvention. l*Y Q und 8 illustra-'te modified connections of the cohererto make it responsive to discharges.

In Fig. l, I have shown a plurality of lends l, 2 und 3 from utransmission system, which ihrough these leads, spark gaps el, 5 und C,:ind the clectrolyiic litglitning nrreeters 5%, 9 und l0, ure connectedto `aground. rl`he arinngeinen't oi spark gaps und clecrolyiic cellsn'uiy he uny well known or suiinhle one. To u poiniV on "the lead 1lconnected dir-ecc to tground? l prefer to connect one end of he cohercrl2. The other end of 'the coherer 1.2, l prefer to connect through :icondenser i3 lo another point on the lend 1l, preferably spanning aconsiderulile length ol the leed ll, or u section containing turns orloops, if such are found necessury in wiring up the arrester.

A local circuit 14 ixu'luding` a source of energy l5 and unelectromagnetic controlling device 1G, later described, is completedthrough' the. coherer l2. dry buttery, impressing on J(he cohcrcr nvoltige about 80% or' ihut necessary to cause coherence, has

heen Jfound to be u satisfactory source of energy. fi svvil'cn muy heincluded in the circuitll- `for ncrinuncnly opening the sinne ii2desired. The electronmgnet of the controller 1G controls normally opencontacts l? which are u part oi n circuit i9 including :i source oienergy 20, und ille elecronmgnct 21 oi :i yihrning switch urin 22. Thevibrating' switch erin 22 may be the decoherer, carrying for thatpurpose the sinnll hammer 23 for rapping 4he coherr 1Q. This Yibrntor:Vrin 2Q also controls the normally open contacts 'Q4 in a circuitincluding the source of energy 2O und the elcctromagnet 25; thiselectroinugnet directly controls ille indicating; or'reeording device.An arm Z6 of the indica'ineN or recording device isfin die circuit V"liepart 2'? niey'he u visual or audible'indicator actuated by the arm 26,or any Well known form of recording device for recording the engagementtherewith of the arm 26. The arm 26 when with the device 27 by themagnet 25, opens the circuit 19 and allows the release of vibrator arm22, which under the action of its spring, returns to normal position,decohering the coherer 12. As the arm' 26 controls the action of the decoherer, it will be apparent that an alarm or a record must bemade bythe arni 26 before the decoherer .can operate. y

Small condensers' may be placed in shunt to the various -contacts andresistances, as 28, inseries therewith as desired to prevent sparklingand consequent false coherence.

A device so constructed operates as :tolloWs: 0n the occurrence of adischarge from the line through the arresters, the drop across thelength of lead 11 spanned by the connections to the coherer 12 causesthe im pression of a small high frequency potential on the coherer,causing the lowering of the coherers resistance sufficient to allow cur-I rent to pass from the source of energy 15. The electromagnetof thecontrolling device 16 is thereby energized and the contacts 17 closed.The coherer circuit is kthus cornpleted from the battery 15, throughcoherer 12 and electromagnet 16. The electromagnet 16 is energized andattracts its armature to close the contacts 17 in the decoherer circuit.TWhen contacts 17 are closed, the decoherer circuit is completed fromthe battery 20, through contacts 17, arm 26 and electro-v magnet 21. Theelectromagnet 21 being energized, moves the vibrator arm 22 from'Vdecohering to inoperative l decoherer is thus prevente from operatinguntil the decoherer circuit is broken. In moving toinoperative position,the vibrator arm moves the hammer or tapper 23 Vout of engagement withthe coherer 12 and also closes contacts 24: in theindicating or re-(position and Vthe cording circuit. VThis circuit is completedfrom thebattery 2O through contacts 24, arm`22 and eleotromagnet 25' Theelectromagnet 25, thereupon, attracts the recording arm 26 moving itinto recording position. In resilient engagement with the arm 216 is aspring or resilient contact 26"L which acts to maintain the indicatorcircuit closed until the work done by the arm 26 'is completed whetherit is in making a permanent record or visually or audibly indicating thesame. After the arm 26 is moved toward electromagnet a definitedistance, the spring contact 26?L breaks engagement with the arm 26 thusbreaking the decohercr circuit and allowing the vibrator arm to bereleased by its electromagnet 21 from inoperativel position, whereuponit moves quickly under the action oi: its spring, to dccoheringposipulled into engagement tion, the hammer 23 striking a blow upon thecoherer 12V to decohere it. The arm 22 at the same time opens contacts21 and breaks the indicator or recording circuit, allowing the arm 26 toagain come into engagement with its spring Contact 26a under the actionof its spring. It will be apparent from this description that theindicating or recording circuit controls the decoherer circuit in such away Vthat the coherer is not decohered until a suitable indication ofcoherence is made. By this means sufficient time is given at eachdischarge of the arrester to indicate or record the same beforedecoherence 4takes place. When the arm 22 moves to decohering positionand the hammer 23 has operated the parts, with the possible exception ofthe contacts 17, Vare now in their iirst position. Should the dischargehave ceased, the decoherence-o the particles allows the denergization ofthe elcctromagnet in the controller 16 and the separation of thecontacts 17. Should, however, on the other hand, the discharge throughthe arresters be continuing, the contact 17 will be maintained inengagement or brought again into engagement by the recoherence, andother actuations of the recording arm 26 and. the .decoherlng hammer 23will be made. These operations will continue as longI as the dischargethroughvthe arresters continues.

There are a number or" possible methods for connecting the coherer inorder that it may be ati'ected by a discharge. In Fig. 2 another Way inwhich the condenser 13 and coherer 12 may be connected to shunt a partof the lightning arrester grounding connection is shown.- In thisparticular instance one side of the two in series is connected to apoint between the spark gap and theelectrolytic celland the other sideof the series is connected to ground. V

ln Fig. 3 still another connection of a coherer is shown. In this case ashort antenna running close to the line is connected to one side of thecoherer, the other side of the cohcrer being connected to ground.

What claim as new and' desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is:

1. A discharge indicator comprising a de'-4 tector operated in responseto a discharge', means for recording the operation of said detector,means for restoring said detector to normal condition after it hasoperated, and means for preventing 'said restoring means from operatinguntil said has operated.

2. A discharge indicator comprising a coherer, a decoherer, means forrecording the'coherence of said coherer, and means for preventing thedecoherence or" said coherer until said recording means has operated.

3. A discharge indicator comprising c coherer, a decohcrer., a devicefor indicating the coherence of said coherer. and means `i'or preventingsaid decoherer :lroin operating until said indicating device hasoperated.

4. The combination with a coherer, of an electroresponsive devicecontrolled by said coherer, a coherence indicator rfsponsive to theenergization of said electroresponsive device, and adecoliereicontrolled by said indicator to operate therewith in adefinite sequence.

5. A discharge indicator comprising a coherer, a decolierei', and acontrol circuit for said decoherer closed by the coherence of saidcoherer comprising an indicating device for indicating when saidcoherence occurs, and means for rendering said decoherer inoperativeuntil said indicating device operates.

6. ln combination a colieier, an electroresponsive device controlled bysaid coherer, a circuit controlled by said electroresponsive device. adecoherer in said circuit comprising a vibrator' arm and means forpreventing said vibrator arm from operating While said circuit isenergized, and an indicator in a circuit closed by said vibrator armwhen iiioperative. said indicator after operating opening' the circuitof said decoherer Whereby said vibrator arm is released to decohere Saidcoherer.

7. The combination with a coherer, of an electioresponsive deviceenergized in response to coherence of said coherer, a decoherer renderedinoperative in response to the energization of said electroresponsivedevice, a recording device set into operation by the movement of saiddecolierer when S. The combination with a circuit includ-- ing a cohererand an electroresponsive de- 'vice energized in response to coherence ofsaid coherer. a second circuit closed by said electroresponsive deviceincluding an electromagnet and a recording arm, a decohering vibratorarm cooperating With'said colierer and movable in response to saidelectromagnet out of decohering position, a third circuit completed bysaid vibrator arm when moved out of decoliering position including asecondv electromagnet, said second electromagnet causing said recordingarm to move into recording position to indicate the coherence ot' saidcoherer, and a spring contact member cooperating with said recording armto open said second circuit after said arm has moved into recordingposition whereby said vibrator arm moves to decoliering position.

9. In combination a decolierer. an indicator operatively related to saidcoherer for registering the coherence of said coherer, a decohererrendered inoperative in response to coherence of said coherer, and meansfor moving said decolierer into decolierin osi/ tion after saidindicator has operated.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of May,1912.

ELMER E. F. CREIGHTON. Vfitnesses HELEN Onronn, MARGARET E. WooLLEY.

